The Romance of Jasmine Tea

There is a lot to be said for Valentine’s Day - a day that the collective conscious of the world will focus on love.  All this talk about love is fine, but what’s love without a little romance?  Can you be romanced by a cup of tea?  Oh, I think you can and I don’t doubt that you have already been romanced.

Tea will snuggle and cuddle your insides with its warmth and love - just like a good Valentine should! The senses are heightened and if we have chosen well then we fall madly in love with the tea and the steamy romance begins.

Not all teas have the same sensual elements.  So my #1 choice for a romantic cup of tea is Jasmine Tea.  Everything about Jasmine tea can be seen with the rosy-glasses of romance.  From the way it is created to the final moment of taste sensation, jasmine tea speaks the language of love.

Consider that the initial tea season comes in the Spring – a time that the world breaks forth with new life, a time marked by the blossoming of new love and flowers.  It is in the first few weeks of the first flush that the buds and leaves must be plucked and the fresh blossoms of the jasmine flower chosen and then are layered within the tea leaves.  Then the two leaves are curled up together in a tight union. Upon completion the two are now one and the scent of the jasmine have infused the tea. The soft flowery fragrance of the jasmine tea is the very essence of romance.  And the taste of a quality jasmine tea is nothing short of divine.

If you want to show your love this Valentines’ Day, don’t just say it with flowers – say it with flowers and pearls, by sharing the gift of pearled jasmine tea!

Spotlight Review: Lime in the Coconut

"You put the lime in the coconut and drink 'em both up..."

Tea: Lime in the Coconut
Company: California Tea House
Steep: 1 heaping tsp for 2-3minutes
Ingredients: Assam black & Chinese Green tea with Lime juice, coconut and sunflower petals
Aroma: smells like lime....and coconut!
Taste: Heavy on the lime

Review: According to their website, this blend was inspired by the Muppets - a sketch I remember well, as I own a fairly large box set of The Muppet Show. and so...I ordered this tea. I mean any company that willingly tells you that a Muppets sketch was the inspiration for a blend of tea is my kind of company!

The result however was rather disappointing. I can get over the fact that as with many blends, what you smell is not what you taste...the smell of coconut did not give the taste of coconut in this case. But I felt that there was nothing to this blend but lime. The mix of green and black tea did nothing to add dimension or complexity. I found it to be a rather flat tea - also a temperamental one at that. Warning: too big of a tsp or 30seconds of extra steep time made this a bitter brew.

But for your general amusement, take 2minutes of your day for this catchy little tune:

Going for the Green (tea) on St Pattys

What better day to talk about all things green than on St Patrick’s Day! And while some will opt for pitchers of green beer tonight, I’ll be seeing green in pots of tea! If ever I was to find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, I’m sure it would be a tea pot of the most beautiful golden hued liquor of a very satisfying green tea.

You needn’t be Irish to celebrate St Patty’s Day, nor do you need the luck of the Irish to reap the healthy benefits of green tea. Luckily there is a lot of research these days which verifies what people have known for centuries – that green tea is good for your health and your health is worth its weight in gold!

Follow the link to find out

"Why it's lucky to drink Green Tea!"

One Year Later: The Pi Lo Chun Challenge

Tonight I stumbled across the fact that I had 2 canisters of Pi Lo Chun, both strangely enough from the same company. One sample was from an order made a year ago and had rather forgot about on the tea shelf, the other I received in the mail today.

ABOUT Pi Lo Chun
- From the Fujian province in China; also called bi luo chun.
- The tea leaves distinctly look like little green snails
(and translated, the name means "green snail spring")
- Hand-picked and processed in the Spring, which can make this an expensive brew, but with the delicate balance of the taste, I wouldn't settle with the cheap stuff....
- Taste: floral/grassy

So, in the spirit of science and knowledge, I thought it would be fun to do a side by side comparison. And what a difference a year makes!

I brewed both samples and then took the
Pi Lo Chun Challenge.
A sip from one....A sip from the next.

The first sample smelled stronger, the liquor was a darker yellow, the taste ended with a harsh bitter after-taste. This was obviously the older sample. The second was a fresher cup, lighter, and smoother, no residual after taste at all. Just a fine cup of tea...

And for your blogging pleasure, I took a picture so that you could bear witness to this event!

Yes, as you can see for yourself, it is quite apparent which tea will reign supreme on the tea shelf and which shall be banished to the underworld! No use in keeping bitter-tasting tea (unless of course you LIKE that, which however, I do not).

Life's to short to drink bad tea.

Keep it Mad, Keep it Fresh....

TASTING: GenMaiCha

When I first heard about GenMaiCha, a type of Japanese green tea with rosted rice, I thought:

Now THIS is truly a MAD POT of tea!

This tea is known for its soft, toasted flavor. I love the way in which the tea gives me a warm and cozy feeling....even the aroma conjures up being wrapped up in a flannel blanket on a cold Autumn evening.

I first had this blend at T-Salon in NYC and again at a local tea house in Astoria, Himalaya Teahouse (a new place which has happily changed my view of my neighborhood!). I also saw at my deli, that Ito En has taken on the GenMaiCha in their iced tea blend!!

But the most unique blend award goes to Adagio Tea for their special blend of GenMaiCha which includes popped rice and popcorn! I have yet to try it (as this is a new blend discovery for me) but I will have to get my hands on their Snap, Crackle, Sip!

So if you've never tried GenMaiCha.....

What are you waiting for?
Go grab a cup!